Prince Harry has publicly addressed rumors that he and Meghan Markle are getting divorced.
Harry, 40, spoke about recent speculation surrounding the state of his marriage to Markle, 43, while at The New York Times’ 2024 DealBook Summit in New York City on Wednesday.
Gossip began to spread that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were suffering from marital woes when they were seen appearing separately at professional engagements. Dubbed a “professional separation,” the move was reportedly part of a new “twin-track” approach to overhauling their image.
“I Google News-ed you, and there were people fascinated by everything you’re doing, all the time. They’re fascinated by Meghan is in California right now, and you’re here,” Sorkin said, alluding to Markle’s plans to attend the Paley Honors gala in Beverly Hills on Wednesday.
“And there’s articles left and right about, you know, ‘Why are you making, doing independent events? Why aren’t you doing them together?’” Sorkin continued.
Prince Harry had a simple explanation.
“Because you invited me, you should have known!” Prince Harry butted in, eliciting laughs from the audience.
“True,” Sorkin responded. “Is that normal for you? The second there’s an article — she’s in California, you’re in New York — they say, ‘Well, what is happening with these two, right?’ Is that a good thing for you, in a way, that there’s so much interest in you?”
The prince replied, “No, that’s definitely not a good thing.
“Apparently we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times. We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?’” Prince Harry added, chuckling.
“It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls,” he went on. “Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do.”
Harry also said that he had “no doubt” his sit-down with Sorkin “will be spun or twisted somehow against me, and maybe you yourself will be trolled relentlessly.”
“For that, I can only apologize, but you did invite me, so it’s not my fault,” the royal quipped.
Of his relationship with the press, Harry reflected on his childhood living in the wake of the media frenzy surrounding his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and the turbulent marriage she shared with Harry’s father, King Charles III.
“I’ve had a lived experience since I was a kid,” the Duke told Sorkin. “I’ve seen stories written about myself that aren’t exactly based on reality. I’ve seen stories about members of my family, friends, strangers, all sorts of people.”
“And I think when you grow up within that environment, you do find yourself questioning the validity of the information but also what other people are thinking of that as well, and how dangerous it can be over the course of time.”
Harry added that he remains focused on the charitable work he and Meghan have begun via their Archewell Foundation — including increasing online safety for children — along with his “main goal” of “being the best husband and dad that I can be.”
Harry and Meghan married in 2018 and share two children: Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
Harry’s appearance at the DealBook Summit follows Meghan’s in 2021.
